Mount Justice
by RedHood4522
Summary: When Jason left his old life behind he never thought he would go back. He got a new job at a diner and left the high society life behind. But how will Jason react when events push him and his old life back together again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N First: I do not own Red Hood or Young Justice nor do I own any of the characters therein. Second: The concept for this story came from an gret Percy Jackson Fanfic I read some years back called "A New Life" (10/10 would recommend) though events play out very differently the setup and circumstances are somewhat similar and with that enjoy!**

CHAPTER 1

The sun crept in through the window of my apartment and woke me up. It did this very thing once a day on this particular day my friend was leaning on the door frame his name was Conner Kent and he was munching on a red muffin looking at me with a detached sort of interest. Conner was sixteen and going to Gotham north. He also had a job at the diner we were currently standing above which by the way is called Mt. Justice for some strange reason. I was a chef and friends with the owner and so she let me rent out the apartment space above the diner. Conner himself lived with his family most of the time but sometimes he found his absent older brother and irritable sister and her friends hard to deal with and so he crashed with me for about half the time and with his parents for the rest.

I looked at Conner and asked, "Why did I give you the key to my apartment again?

Conner looked taken aback and said, "You didn't know? You know everything Jason."

"Can't say I do."

"Weird it's been the talk of the town!"

"What?" Ask exasperated.

"You secretly love me" He said his face dead serious. It remained that way all the way until the words were finished hanging in the air and then we both started laughing.

After a minute I managed to gasp out, "I'm gonna shower don't damage my living space too severely."

Connor looked disappointed "All right I will refrain from burning our place of work to the ground. I chuckle as I head into the shower and allow the grime of the previous day to wash off of my skin the needles turning from ice to fire on my skin as I bask in the heat for a few minutes before my shift. As I head down dressed casually, being a cook I wear a whit t-shirt and jeans, I feel a cold draft coming from the kitchen and run back for my jacket. A black and white leather affair with a red hood and a bastardized version of my family crest which was redesigned by my dad our crest was a black bat on a yellow field. I decided I didn't like it a year and a half ago and put a red diamond with wings on the back of my black and white leather jacket and that was that house Todd. I had a hat that I wore also had the crest on it but that is currently irrelevant. As I walked down into the kitchen I saw the other cook Violet Harper who was an immigrant from the middle east. A little country off the coast of Africa called Bealia which was steeped in the civil war that raged between two dictators one who called herself Queen Bee and one who went by Psymon. They were both weird characters.

As I saw the girl I reflected how the diner was made up of strays and runaways; people who had things they would rather avoid. I was snapped out of my reverie when violet, said, "Jason one day I'm gonna get you to tell me the secret to your red food."

I grinned devilishly back at her and said, "There is a list of ingredients in a rather famous book."

She perked up "What book?'

"Macbeth"

"Jason that's horrible!' Chided a vice from outside it was Zatanna a good friend of mine and the only one who knew my secret my family. She continued I heard you practicing through the floorboards

I cringed at that, "Piano or guitar?" My dad made me learn piano and I liked it so much I decided that I wanted to try something else.

"Piano" Violet chimed in from the corner where she was dicing peppers for an omelet. A favorite of hers she usually made it for herself and her boyfriend before she did anything "It was very good Brion and I danced to it." The girls laughed at my discomfort and I set to work.

—Jump Cut—

Several hours into my shift I brought a hamburger and shake more to get out of the kitchen then anything else. The man who ordered the food was named Bill Finger he ordered the same thing for lunch every day I greeted him in a chipper mood which disappeared as I saw three familiar figures ambling down the street I handed Mr finger his food and slipped into the back without anyone noticing and got back to work in silence.

—3rd person POV—

Zatanna was having a pretty good shift until _they _showed up Jason used to hang around them. How could he not after all they were his brothers. They were arguing when they came in. Well not really arguing so much as Damian complaining and Tim and Dick were humoring him. All in all, they seemed to be in a very good mood. And then _he _saw me his face went pale and his eyes widened. "Zatanna?"

I struggled to keep the emotion she felt out of my voice and through a monumental effort I managed it "Hello Dick." The steadiness of her voice was undermined by the look in her eyes the three year old hurt brimming in them.

They looked at each other for a good thirty seconds until Dick said, "Want to eat lunch with us?" The question caught her off guard and she looked at the manager John Smyth who as usual was dressed in bright red oddly enough he always seemed to wear the same shirt and Zatanna privately thought he had a closet of nothing but red shirts with yellow arrows on them. John nodded and said, "Take the rest of the day off."

She nodded gratefully and sat down across from the boys ordering a burger and a shake more because she knew these would keep Jason busy. She looked at Dick who looked back in an uneasy manner. Zatanna wondered how long it would take Dick to say something or whether she would have to say something. They as in an awkward silence until Conner brought them all food Dick still silent tasted the shake (which was a vibrant red). When the cool liquid passed his lips his eyebrows shot up in surprise

—Three years earlier—

Jason liked being in the kitchen. It made him feel normal. More than that it reminded him of his mother who had been a cook before she died. She had been killed when a group of gangsters disguised themselves as the catering staff and well… there can't be two of every member of the catering staff that would lead to award questions. They decided to shoot the staff and so his mother had died before she died though she had taught Jason how to cook she taught him recipes that her restaurant used and ones she made. Her last gift to him had been a cookbook from her restaurant with additional flavors and seasonings and some of her own recipes. He memorized that book but he still used it he cooked most of his own meals disregarding the social norms for boys in his place in society. He often ate with Alfred rather than with his family. If he was honest with himself Alfred always felt closer to his father than his emotionally distant guardian. He talked to the butler bringing his questions about the world around him and walking away with what felt like more information than he could use.

Every so often he would make one of his brothers. He didn't mind in fact he quite liked it. Dick had been especially fond of his red shakes and or smoothies (depending on his mood)

—Present Day—

"Dick are you alright?" Zatanna looked at her ex-boyfriend with concern.

Dick shook himself out of his reverie and smiled weakly "Yeah… just remembering"

Zatanna decided not to press the subject instead asking "So what are you boys doing all the way out in my little corner of Gotham?"

Dick grinned at the question "Dad is helping working with Oliver Queen on some business matter and Alfred is helping him plan his niece's birthday party."

Zatanna coughed into her smoothie "Arty is turning 18!" She exclaimed through her laughing fit. She and Artemis Crock had been good friends when she was dating Dick though recently they hadn't been talking much. She had gone out with Jason on more than one occasion and confided in Zatanna at least sixty million times that she thought Jason hot Zatanna had always found this very funny whenever it came up. "But why are you here?" She asked again.

"These little rascals were going insane so I took them out to wander around the city for a bit" Dick said tousling Damian's hair. Damian complained lightly and fixed his hair.

Tim piped up eager to fill the lull in the conversation lest the silence became awkward once again, "Yeah! I mean do you have any idea how boring board meetings can be? I mean how can people talk for hours and hours about absolutely nothing?"

Zatanna laughed "Yeah dad's business used to drive me nuts when I was a kid" Zatanna's dad Zatara was an actor.

Dick chuckled recalling moments of boredom before Jason moved in. His face quickly grew sad and Zatanna's heart went out to him but she refrained from telling him all the same. Dick seemed lost Zatanna knew he was wondering what had happened to Jason

—Two years and six months ago—

Jason had been in the hospital for nearly three weeks and still his brother's hadn't come to see him he was due to be released that night but he had already decided that he wasn't going home he was going to run away; finish high school at Gotham West get a job and never interact with his family. Alfred had come to visit him and so had Bruce if only briefly but not his brothers. Not once. He had been in a coma for two weeks. The doctors thought he would die. He had a broken jaw and more than half his ribs had been broken. Not to mention the internal bleeding and the broken arms. The doctors had allowed him a tape recorder when they were sure he didn't have a collapsed lung. He asked for the devices specifically because he didn't know of a way to change tapes he liked the finality of it. He sent one to his father, and one to each of his brothers, he sent one to Helena the mobster's daughter, he sent one to Artemis, one to Roy, he sent one to Alfred, and one to the rest of the staff at Wayne manor.

When Damian got his he would write it off as a prank but when Jason didn't come home that night he ran and cried in Dick's arms for a very long time, When Tim got his he would call the hospital, when Bruce got his he would do something he only did for birthdays he took the day off; Bruce would look for, months they all would, when Artemis got hers she cried for a week, when Dick got his he went to a friend of the family police commissioner Gordon, when Alfred received his he did nothing for a very long time he simply sat and turned on some of Jason's favorite music a jazz/blues combination on an old Zune the one Dick had given him. He listened to the whole thing from start to finish and never mentioned it again. He mailed the Zune to an old associate of his telling him to give it to Jason and then forget where Jason was.

None of this mattered to Jason that night all that mattered was that he couldn't go home not after what had happened he had to find a new place to call home.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I don't own any of the characters sorry for the short chapter longer ones are coming I promise**

CHAPTER 2

—Present day 8:30pm—

Dick got home late and the first thing he did was pull out an old cassette tape he had it copied onto his phone of course but he liked to hold the object when he listened to it. He had received three tapes from Jason this was the one he received the night Jason disappeared. He played it through his headphones and thought

"Hey Dick!" Jason's voice filled the entire room "you may or may not know that I sent a bunch of these to a bunch of people and you know when I told the nurse I was sending one to you she actually chuckled. I didn't have to tell you that. I just wanted to make you feel guilty. Speaking of guilt you didn't visit me in the hospital! What's with that o' most wise eldest brother of mine?" There was a hint of anger in Jason's voice when he said those words. "Anyway guilt trips aside I thought you might like to know that I'm running away. Like now this is the last one I'm recording I'm gonna bring these to the house and then I'm gonna go. Please don't try to follow me you know I always win at hide and seek." That wasn't true Jason had always come in second. They had all beat him at some point he ha always claimed that they never would have found him in his original spot though Dick had always assumed that was just witticism. The recording of his brother, "I may come back some day I'll see ya 'round…" the Jason's voice paused "no, no I guess I won't see ya round ah well." The laughing tone of his voice suddenly disappeared and he sounded sad "Good bye Dick you've been a great brother and a better friend than a guy like me could ask for just know that I love you and… yeah see ya Dick."

The recording clicked off and Dick's hoarse voice was all that could be heard. "I'm sorry Jason I should have been there." He walked into Bruce's study, always risky but he needed to talk. "Dad?"

Bruce's voice rang out from the chair he was sitting in cool, like water running into a shady pool, "What is it Dick?"

"I think I found Jason."

Bruce stood up so fast his chair fell over "You what? Where? How?"

"At the diner the shake I had tasted just like Jason's mom's recipe"

"I'll look into it thank you Dick."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

—Jason's POV—

I woke up late the next morning. I had been up late talking to Zatanna about what had happened the previous day. That day, I awoke to Conner sitting on my couch watching a news program on the television. The reporter was talking to the camera in-front of our local community center, "I'm here today outside of the West Gotham Community Center which has recently been vandalized by an unknown group of people." I scowled at the reporter Vikki Vale was by all accounts a pretty fair reporter but she brought too much bad news to the poorer parts of Gotham for me to really like seeing her anywhere. The saying is wherever Vikki goes trouble surely follows.

She continued talking about the extent of the damage while Connor turned to me and said, "This is terrible we need to get that place cleaned up!"

I agreed but I also knew that we were just about broke at the moment, "With what money?" I asked calmly

"Don't you want to help?"

"Of course I do. But we have to be realistic. We don't have enough money to take that time like that." I stopped and thought for a minute " I can get a second job and cover any extra expenses you may rack up while you work."

A smile spread across his face "That could work…" but his grin quickly faded, "but wouldn't that be too much for you?"

I laughed "I'm a Todd I'll be fine." I was gratified when his cautiously smile return to his face.

—Scene Break—

I started looking for work I applied as a tech at every major firm in the city except Wayne Tech. When none of those jobs panned out I started looking for work in other places I applied as a cook to a catering company I applied as a I.T. guy at a school and I applied as a security guard at every firm I could find. The one that took me up was owned by Oliver Queen. (No the irony of this was not lost on me what with his niece being my ex)

Oliver's brother had been in a nasty car crash he had died on impact. Lawrence Queen had been a contract killer, and a damn good one at that in there with the greats like Slade Wilson and Floyd Lawton. Anyway her mom had soft tissue injuries and was paralyzed from the waist down and so Oliver Queen took his late brother's wife under his wing. Paula Crock and her daughter Artemis lived with Oliver, Artemis and her sister Jade went to Gotham academy on scholarship courtesy of Queen Industries, in short Oliver was like a second far wealthier father to Artemis and he treated her as if she were his own daughter.

The private security firm I was hired onto was run by Grant Wilson. Grant Wilson did a tour with the National Guard before joining Sandline International, a private military corporation he had worked there for five years until he reached out and expressed his interest in a new job Bowhunter snapped him up and now he was leading my team a motley crew consisting of an armored car driver Jamie Reyes, a marksman David Cain, our private bomb squad Anatoli Knyazev, The "public face" (Cain's nickname not mine) was named Elaine Marsh-Morton. We have a martial arts expert Sandra Woosan. I was a jack of all trades I'm really good with sidearms and pretty good patching folks up (comes with the cooking trade cuts, bruises, etc.). So they made me the team medic.

I went through the basic requirements to join the unit. I was given two M1911s, a Ka-BAR, and some body armor and uniform pants and a medkit with a taser. I was allowed to wear my own clothes as long as I wear the uniform. In other words I wear my lucky jacket the one with my new crest and the red hood.

My first few jobs were simple nothing went wrong but on the tenth job Gotham decided to throw a wrench in the works. A couple of robbers decided to rob the jewelry store we had been guarding. The place was getting a shipment of stones to make rings with. Ya know basic stuff wanted extra security for the day even paid us to drive the car. Well some idiots who thought they looked tough in black decided today would be a good day to get rich. They bust into the back and Sandra, who had been by the door dropped one of them in nothing flat but the next one who came through the door put two into hers shoulder and sternum without thinking I was moving the robbers had already started their shouting and gun waving and everyone else was either on the floor or in a very tense standoff. All in all three robbers not counting the one on the ground they were too shocked to react and when one of them tries to stop me by screaming and waving a gun in my face. I grab the point of the gun moving it away from me and hiss, "Murder is a far more serious charge than attempted robbery now if you don't let me help her she WILL die and even if nobody hunts you down for theft I guarantee you they will hunt you down for murder." My voice was cool and hard as the diamonds we were to supposed to guard. The man who was young looked shaken by the prospect of that and he lowered his gun and I got to work.

I pulled out tweezers and pulled out the bullets and began to clean the wounds she was strong but I had the sanitizer in the open wounds she yelled out and withers under my inexperienced hands. I finally got her stable but she had lost a lot of blood "I have to monitor her to ensure she isn't still bleeding the tree nodded slowly and the young man kept his gun on my head I reopened my first aid kit and pulled out the taser and made eye contact with Wilson made a sign with his hand that we all knew we had been watching for it sense they burst in I grabbed the rifle of the young guy and move it aside firing my taser into the back of a second guy who had his gun on Cain who took the opening to knock out the third guy meanwhile I twisted the gun and he dropped the gun I grabbed his wrist and twisted and he cried out I found out afterword that I broke it I had tried to execute a Nikyo wrist lock but I applied too much force and his wrist just broke. He cried out and crumpled holding his wrist. The police came moments later to find two unconscious thieves, one tased thief, and a thief with a broken wrist though I had splinted that. Now we were relieved by cops and EMTs. I had my statement taken and aside from that I sat on a couch with my elbows on my knees with my fingers pressed together. Staring at the floor shocked that this had happened. The reality to the danger this field posed to my physical and mental health. I was picked up by Zatanna as I was in no condition to drive after what I had just experienced. I had saved Sandra but I also had blood on my hands and arms. People were giving me strange looks. The story was on the news that night though I got away before the reporters could get their hands on my photos and so I wasn't mentioned by name rather I was referred to as the "Unnamed sixth member."

I had to wash my sleeves seven times to clean all the blood off. That was rough but I hung out with Zatanna and Connor for a while before my shift and then washed up for the closing shift. As usual Violet tried to get me to reveal my recipes and I tried to get her to read Macbeth. Actually I tried two get her to read the book I had just picked up, _The Way of Kings, _I still cited Macbeth as my recipe book and I still cracked snarky jokes but inside I was tired and apparently it showed Zatanna pulled me aside

"You doing ok? You seem... Distant"

I shrug my shoulders "Honestly Zee? I don't know I guess I'm hurting I was just up to my elbows in blood saving the life of one of my coworkers. I mean I'm a hero and all but I don't want the limelight I don't thrive there I prefer to do my job and come home to you guys but this… It may change everything." She nods, understanding and hurt mixed in her eyes. Her dad was a famous movie star and he was great in his own way but he didn't have a lot of time for her and that hurt. He was always crowded by reporters or paperazis and that had never been her cup of tea.

Unfortunately she knew there was no getting rid of what I had done either and said, "Well, whether you want to or not you want to be a hero you are so come on and let's celebrate on the roof."

As it turned out we were celebrating Violet's birthday not my heroism. I was glad of that. I had a chance to relax and enjoy myself. Connor was talking to the new girl the restaurant had hired to cover for him, He was taking a lot of time off to help clean the community center. Megan seemed nice enough though her skin was tinted green. That confused me but I didn't see the point in asking her as she got defensive whenever a customer asked her, anyway I supposed it made her different just like the rest of us. At one point Brion had suggested we call ourselves the outcasts Zatanna had then joked that we should make me their leader and call ourselves Red Hood and the outcasts. We entertain the prospect for maybe 25 to 30 seconds before we all burst out laughing and listening to a shuffle playlist on my Zune. (**A/N For the uninitiated a Zune is a device like an ipod except without any internal speakers)** Water of Love by Dire Straits was playing we were enjoying ourselves I noticed Brion and Violet had disappeared I assumed that they were off somewhere doing romantic things I just didn't think it would be my apartment. I ran down to get a two liter bottle of Coke I had been saving for a special occasion (Nothing specific just any party that might happen to crop up) and I found them passionately kissing in my kitchen "I hate to interrupt but I need to get into my refrigerator.

Violet started pulling away looking really embarrassed, "I'm really sorry I just…."

I laugh as I get my soda out of the refrigerator, "I don't mind just dont destroy my apartment." I leave soda in hand and return to the party.

-Jump Cut-

The next day found me working at the security company in the afternoon I was late because I also had to cover for cook the morning shift. We were working in one of the primary buildings of Queen Industries when Oliver Queen's personal assistant came down. She was a prim woman with the kind of face you forgot as soon as you looked away she scowled at Cain from behind her clipboard. Her horn rimmed glasses perched precariously on her nose. She looked like someone who would one day become a grouchy librarian striking fear into the hearts of highschoolers with late fees on books you had forgotten you had borrowed. Anyhow, she came in and looking distastefully at us 'mercenaries' (as she was fond of calling us) and walked right up to us with a business-like expression I mentally prepared myself for the worst tuning out most of what she said until she got to the actual job. When she got to the job my breath caught in my chest. We were to provide security for Artemis' birthday. _Artemis._ Just my luck all the people I want to be around least are going to be there. The party was in a couple of months but they needed to be certain that they had a couple of details reserved in advance I had two months to make enough money to give the community center and to help cover Connor's living costs. This was going to be unpleasant.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Before you begin reading I don't own any of the characters here and from the bottom of my heart I am SO ****sorry that I haven't been posting. Thank you for your patience and with no further ado...**

CHAPTER 4

Connor and I were sitting in my apartment discussing the current problem. He was confused, I had never really talked about my past with anybody but Zatanna and she already knew. "So you're telling me you don't want an invitation to the most expensive and high class party in Gotham."

"I thought you hated upper class snobs." I said artfully skirting around the point of the conversation

"I have no respect for people who don't earn their success through hard work and sacrifice. People like Oliver Queen who inherited a business that does no good for anybody." I nod and reflect on that to myself. "The Waynes on the other hand, I support and respect all they've done for Gotham's streets. They truly support the underdogs of Gotham. I smile mirthlessly almost laughing out loud.

"So you think I should keep working for the PMC?" **(Private Military Contractor)**

"Well yeah! Besides the fact that you get a backstage pass to the most exclusive party in Gotham I get to say my Best friend is a PMC!"

I finally let out the laughter I've been holding in. A full real laugh that I really enjoyed "All right, I'll keep working there for your bragging rights" He grins and chuckles as he leaves but as soon as he's gone I sobered up I now had no way out of this.

-3rd person point of view-

Artemis had always known Jason was out there. She had always known that he was alive, and so when Dick had told her that he had eaten what was definitely Jason's food she hadn't been surprised. She had considered going to the diner. But she decided she didn't want to scare him underground again and so she refrained. She instead decided to listen to his recording. The one he'd sent to her two years ago from a post office in Star City. She had memorized the tape but she liked listening to his voice even when it sounded sad, "Arty… I- I'm sorry. I should have been a better boyfriend. I should have been more present. Look I know about the cheating. I know about Wally, I know about Roy, and I know about Luke. I'm not mad. Ok so I'm a little mad but that's not the point…" He trailed off for a moment, "This is difficult to explain and before I say anything else I just want you to know that this isn't your fault… Well not entirely anyway… I'm rambling aren't I? I'm sorry my thoughts are all scattered but my mind is made up. I'm leaving to sort my life out. I need to work through these things on my own and in my own time. If I don't, I'm afraid of what I'll do; who I'll become. So I'm leaving goodbye maybe for maybe now maybe forever. Just know… Just know that I love you and I always will"

Artemis was silent. As the recording ended two tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and rolled down her face as she remembered _that_ night the night Jason had been kidnapped and beaten and hospitalized. She missed the whole thing. She had been on vacation with Wally. He was older than she was by only a few years but much more experienced. The sex had been great but not worth it. When she got home the city was covered in a thick layer of fog. Oliver had approached her almost as soon as she got home. He didn't know of course but that didn't change the way she felt when she got the news Jason had been kidnapped and hospitalized by the time she got to the hospital it was too late. Jason had checked himself out a full week before. She had reached out to everyone she knew but nobody could help. When she reached out to Dick she told him the truth about everything. He was furious, naturally, after that any time she asked him for news he would just say "He's too damn good at hide and seek for me to find him and even if I could, I'm fairly certain he wouldn't want you to know."

He did eventually warm up to her again because she was genuinely apologetic but it took months of searching together for them to eventually become friends again. She suspected he still thought she was a cheating whore but he was if nothing else sympathetic and kind to her. Reputations were hard to rebuild after they had been destroyed. She hoped the Waynes would actually come to her party. She also hoped that Jason got her invitation even though she knew it was unrealistic he probably wouldn't want to see her even if he did.

-Jason's POV-

The weekend came and none too soon I was exhausted. I had been pulling double shifts to cover for Connor and supplement his income. I had been presented with an ultimatum by Queen Security. I either had to sign on with them as a contractor for a year or I had to seek work elsewhere. I really didn't want to work for Oliver Queen for a whole year but I also needed the job to cover Connor's income because the repairs at the community center were experiencing some unforeseen difficulties. In addition the party had been delayed six weeks. I knew that this weekend would be all too short and the following week would be equally as difficult. Somehow it made the shock of seeing Dick for the first time in three years easier to handle. It felt nice to have a new challenge to wrap my head around. This didn't stop me from enjoying my time off however, I showered and got dressed. I was wearing my company jacket and a grey shirt with jeans today. I had sewn my own crest onto the back of my jacket below my last name which was already on the back. I also had started stitching a tally of successful jobs onto the sleeve of my jacket just below my medic patch. When I got back into the main part of my apartment I noticed that I was no longer alone in the room and was sitting on my couch with Megan and Conner. A guy I didn't know was leaning on the door frame leading to my kitchen. Zatanna grinned at me, "Hi Jason! We didn't mean to intrude. I was just giving Megan a formal introduction to the rest of the building when Roy showed up."

I scratched my eyes at the bridge of my nose, "No you're fine I just usually prefer to know who people are before they're in my home."

Roy was in his mid twenties with reddish blonde hair worn in a crew cut and he looked mildly uncomfortable as he was. He said, "If I'm intruding I'll leave."

I wave him off "Nah you seem cool make yourself at home. Want a muffin?" Roy stepped aside to allow me into the kitchen. I retrieved a muffin from where I had stored them and tossed it to Roy who caught it deftly. I went out onto the balcony after grabbing a muffin for myself. I hear the door open behind me but I don't turn around instead opting to look out at the cityscape sprawling in front of me.

Roy leant on the balcony next to me. "That's some view you got for yourself." I nod wordlessly "So I see you work for Queen Industries venture into private security." I nod wordlessly again; growing slowly more and more wary of the man leaning on the balcony next to me. "I'm his guy in security. I'm your boss' boss' boss" That surprised me. I expected my big boss to be slightly older and exude the douche in a suit rubbed his neck embarrassed "well technically I'm just working as a family gig for a business degree the permanent boss is more of a di…"

I cut him off, "I've met him. Trust me I know" after a moment of silence I asked "so what brings you to our little corner of Gotham?"

He chuckled "Gonna be honest I wasn't planning on coming but Zatanna convinced me to come and eat breakfast and well," he held up his hands, "In the nicest middle of nowhere restaurant I've ever been in." We leaned in companionable silence for a while longer until he asked me "So what do you do at this little establishment?"

"You mean besides living here and entertaining unexpected guests?"

He laughed "Yes that is exactly what I mean."

"I'm cooking for this place."

He looked surprised, "I thought Violet was the one with a chef's licence."

"Oh she is I'm just a simple cook she's the one with a chef's licence"

"Don't sell yourself short Jay" Zatanna walked up behind us and put her arm around me. "Hey may not be a chef but he's the best damn cook in the kitchen

"Is that so?" Roy looked at me with some interest. I rubbed my neck in embarrassment. Zatanna revealed my embarrassment but Roy mercifully cut my pain short and turned to Zatanna. "I actually came because Dick asked me to." I tensed but he seemed not to notice, "That Macy's just opened up on the corner of Fourth and Chesterton and he sent me to collect you." I relaxed; he clearly had no idea who I was. Zatanna was silent for a moment and he added "He would have come himself but he had to do something for Bruce."

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah sure let's go." They walked away, still talking and a few seconds later I heard my door open and close. I re-entered my apartment and looked around. I realized that nobody was there. I shrugged and went into the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. I looked at the eggs and bacon sizzling in their pan I started thinking back to when the kitchen was much bigger

-Four years earlier-

Bruce was hosting a party for charity and while that was very noble of them Jason had no intention of making a public appearance. He was going to stay well out of the way; crawl through the vents if he had to. Currently he was sitting across the table from Alfred. They had prepared a meal together and now they were sitting down to enjoy it. "You clean up well master Todd. You should wear a suit more often." Jason just smirked at that

"I don't actually mind most suits but Bruce insists on this material and I don't know why." Alfred nodded understandingly and they ate their meal in companionable silence.

"You know master Todd you should probably make an appearance."

"In front of the harpies? Hell no!" He almost laughed.

"Language master Todd." Alfred said calmly "You shouldn't speak of reporters like that, they're an indispensable part of our government" Jason pursed his lips but said nothing.

Once he was done eating Jason stood up and washed his plate off. When the plate was clean he walked up the stairs and through one of the many hallways that lead outside. He crept around to the past the party goers. He snagged a soda off of a tray carried by a woman in white and slipped around the reporters and socialites. He took a sip of the drink. It tasted peculiar. He shrugged and took another. It had definitely had alcohol in it. It probably cost a fortune. He took another sip of the drink just as Vikki Vale wandered around the corner. He groaned, she had almost certainly been following him since he stepped outside. "Hi Jason." she smiled at him.

He did not smile back "Hello Vikki"

"What are you drinking?"

He scowled at the drink. The brown liquid bubbled back, "I'm pretty sure it's a Coke but that doesn't really matter because the newspaper's never going to actually hear what it is. Knowing you it's probably going to end up being cheap low quality whiskey."

She laughed, "If I were a lesser reporter then you would be absolutely right. But fortunately for us I'm a very good reporter and so that won't be a problem." I bit back some choice words about the profession of reporting and opted not to respond, "How's school?" she asked.

"Don't you have somebody else to bother?"

She didn't flinch and didn't back down, "How's your love life? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No"

She raised her eyebrows skeptically "I've heard some interesting rumors about your younger brother and the police commissioner's daughter anything you can tell me about those two?"

"Oh the things I could tell you about Timmy" he smirked at her hopeful look but he said, "look it's been fun drawing out your obviously overzealous overreach into our personal lives but I really must be going." and with that he pushed past her and vanished into the crowd

Jason made his way away from the party and into the shadows of the grounds occasionally finding people who wanted away from the main crowd. Jason finally found who he was looking for. His younger brother was sitting at a table illuminated by a camping lantern. The table was concealed by a willow tree and if he hadn't known where to look he would never have found him. But finding his brother he did, he was kissing the police commissioner's daughter and neither of them had noticed him yet. _Perfect _he thought and then cleared his throat loudly, "Am I interrupting something?" he asks with his signature smirk on his face.

The two jerk apart and look at Jason with confusion that slowly turns to embarrassment and then to anger, "Yes, yes you were." says Tim quickly rebuttoning his shirt

He just shrugs, "Don't break anything that table was expensive." Tim scowls and begins to open his mouth but Jason cuts him off while looseing his tie, "Personally I don't care but you know the reporters in Gotham always poking their noses where they shouldn't be…" he smirks as he allows his words to take effect, "Vikki Vale for instance has been shoving her exceptionally edited nose into your love life." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully before he turned and jogged off into the darkness laughing at the fluster in his brother's face.

He wandered the grounds sipping his drink which he had stashed right before he went to make fun of Tim. He finished his drink and skunk back to the party. He swiped another coke before returning to his wanderings.

Jason wandered to a shed expecting to find some high class gentleman kissing somebody who wasn't his wife. He wasn't disappointed and ignoring their horrified looks he grabbed a gun off of the wall; an M1911. One of two Bruce had bought him for his fifteenth birthday. He also grabbed a rag, a can of cleaning spray, a toothbrush, and all of the other little things he would need. He brought all of it out and lauded it on a table outside before he ran back to the shed for a lantern.

Once he had everything on the well lit table he checked, cleared, double checked, and finally disassembled the pistol laying the parts on the table. He had only just begun to clean the muzzle break when he heard an effeminate voice behind him ask, "What are you doing?"

Assuming it was another reporter he practically shouted, "Listen to me you tabloid whoring harpy if you don't mind…" he trailed off realizing the girl behind him wasn't a reporter. He grimaced, "I'm sorry I thought you were a reporter…" He trailed off again for once he had nothing to say.

Mercifully she laughed, "My god how did you manage to get into a party like this with an attitude like that?"

He winked at her, "I'm what you might call an inside man." She raised an eyebrow quizzically and he explained further, "I live here"

Her eyes light up, "Tim or Jason."

Now it was Jason's turn to raise an eyebrow, he had never been mistaken for his brother before and he wasn't sure he hated the idea. The trouble he could cause if everybody made that mistake, "And why couldn't I be the mysterious mister Grayson?"

She smiles her eyes dancing with feminine amusement, "I've seen his picture a lot in the news and you aren't him. Plus he's been spoken for by that actor's daughter."

"Well to answer your question, I am in fact the Jaybird himself, and if you sit with me I'll let you in on a little secret about Timmy." She crosses to the table and Jason studies her figure. She was in a word beautiful. All of the most famously beautiful and affluent women in Gotham were here tonight and none of them could hold a candle to the girl who was walking past him now. She was wearing a slim green dress with a slit up to her mid thigh. The hint of a garter could be seen peeking out of the dress. The dress itself has slits around her midriff allowing him. see that the tan of her skin was in fact natural.

She sat eyeing my gun with some interest, "I'm Artemis Crock." She said. Her grey eyes seemed to attack mine holding them briefly before darting all around me; sizing me up. I didn't feel at all self conscious and returned to my muzzle break attacking the cracks with cleaner. Artemis meanwhile seemingly satisfied with her survey of me said, "I sat so you spill."

I nodded, " Fair enough" I leaned in conspiratorially and said, "let's put this politely." He began a mischievous gleam dancing in his eyes, "I am currently the only Wayne boy without a girlfriend."

Her eyes widened in astonishment "You don't mean to say…"

"Absolutely." he said, beginning to clean the barrel and grinning, "Sorry if I just ruined any dreams you may have had of dating him and before you ask because the surprisingly common question no I am not gay I've just never found the right girl"

She laughs and then they sat in companionable silence for several minutes until Artemis suddenly asks Jason, "Could you teach me how to operate and clean a gun?" Jason's eyes lit up with pleasure as he ran off to go collect one from the shed she said to nobody in particular, "I've always been a bow girl but it's a skill I've always wanted to learn." Jason returned with an exact copy to the sidearm he had been cleaning bringing it to the table and showing her how to strip it down and clean it.


End file.
